The recent decision by the Supreme Court in the US to
legalize gay marriages has caused so much ripples in the religious world over
the place morality. We have heard prophecies about an impending doom that must
manifest over America drawing similarities from Sodom
and Gomorrah. If we really look at the matter we will honest to agree
that the church has not been successful in reaching those either gay or
homosexual.
The Lord has given us the gospel of grace which is for all
people regardless of the moral issue involved. His ministers must minister life
to anyone they serve from the well of salvation. Bringing up the 10
commandments or any law from Leviticus or Deuteronomy is not
the answer. Quoting one will require you to quote all. We are good to know
that all the law has been abolished by the sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross.
The only law we have now is of the Spirit that ministers
life to a death-ridden world. We have been equipped by God by His Spirit to
make the necessary transformation and impact that the world so really needs but
may not know.
I want to share an experience from Bob Rufus of
City Church International Hong Kong when he received an invitation to minister
to a largely gay setup. He talks about how the anointing of the Spirit can
transform one from being gay to straight without having to declare judgment on
them.
“I want to talk about
this because the anointing is the grace of God - the anointing carries grace
and we want to speak about how the anointing is carried in your words. I want
to talk about how the anointing is transferred through the laying on of hands
and other ways.
When you leave here I
believe God wants to spread the supernatural aroma and flavour and perfume of
grace wherever you go. He wants us to see that the anointing can be
transferred.
The anointing is transferable, transmittable and tangible. The
anointing of God is like supernatural electricity. The anointing of God is like
heavenly materiality - it is real. You can feel the anointing. You can feel it
on your hands and you can feel it on your face. You can feel it leaving your
body and going into someone else's body.
I was in Holland just
a few weeks ago and we taught on the transfer of the anointing. I said;
"Any five people who are sick - I don't care how sick you are - I want to
show you the transfer of the anointing and I will pray for you". So five
people came out and within a minute or two three of them were completely
healed. The fourth had to go for a checkup and a few weeks later we got the
email saying they were healed. The fifth one I don't know about - but four were
healed about them understanding how to receive the transfer of the anointing!
How many want to know
how to give the anointing into people's lives after receiving it? We are all
called to be competent ministers of the Spirit that gives life. When we walk in
the gift of righteousness and speak about the gift of grace we should be able
to back that up with the transfer of the ministry of the Spirit of life.
We should be able to
give away the Spirit of life. Some years ago a man invited me to go to the
United Kingdom and preach to a big outreach in London. The network was called
"Pioneer Ministries" and they were doing an amazing work with people
suffering with HIV/AIDS and they were ministering to them. So they knew many
many precious homosexual folk - people who were lesbians and homosexuals. I
want to tell you that God loves homosexuals and lesbians the way He loves
adulterers and murderers and every unsaved person. Jesus has died for the whole
world! Somehow Christians have put homosexuality in a different category and
said their sin is worse. I don't know - everything is bad! Under the Law
everyone falls short and everyone has missed the glory of God!
The church has not
been successful in reaching homosexual people or gay people. In the Western
world the church has not had a good result with the gay community. Much of the
church has bashed the gays and marched with big "anti-gay" slogans.
That doesn't represent Jesus! I really believe Jesus walks amongst the gay
people and wants to love them into the freedom of the Kingdom! So I was going
to minister to hundreds and hundreds of people who hated church - hated
Christianity and didn't go to church and certainly didn't trust Christians and
are in the gay community.
Now I had never
preached to hundreds of gay people at once - so I went to the United Kingdom
and went out to the forest to pray and wait on God. I began to pray and wait on
God for 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours until I got the breakthrough in
prayer. Now the breakthrough came at the Cross but I was praying the victory of
the Cross into this community. While I was in the forest, I felt the
breakthrough of God. I had a white T-shirt, white running shorts on and was so
happy when the breakthrough came and knew the victory had been released and I
was running and jumping in the forest and even rolled down the hill and rolled
down into a big pile of cow dung and my T-shirt was covered in cow dung but I
was so happy I kept running and knew tonight there would be blessing and
liberty and people saved tonight!
I heard God say to me;
"Son, the anointing of blessing is all over your white T-shirt which was
now the colour of green cow dung. Tonight I don't want you to preach for more
than 10 minutes - I just want you to go to the meeting and wave it over the
crowd and I'll do the rest". So I said; "Jesus please don't ask me to
do this! These are British people with stiff upper lips and won't appreciate
this!". He said; "Okay Rob - don't worry but you will be preaching on
your own". I said; "No Lord don't leave me on my own!". But you
see - sometimes to do the miraculous we have to do the ridiculous. That is why
grace liberates us to become bold and adventurous. We can step out in faith
when we hear the voice of God. We do things people are too afraid to do but we
do them because we are walking in
the grace of God.
So that night I went
to the meeting and there were 100s of people there. Someone was trying to lead
them in worship but they were not interested. They were angry and mad and
upset. I came out and began to speak and spoke for 10 minutes. Everything was
so tight and unfriendly and hostile and terrible that I wanted to run out the
meeting. I thought; "Lord I will just preach for a little longer to get
their faith up". The Lord kept saying; "Son I am telling you - just
wave the T-shirt over the crowd". I had the T-shirt in a plastic bag and
hidden it under the pulpit and was dressed in a clean shirt and trousers. But
nothing was happening - it was getting worse. So finally I said; "Ladies
and gentlemen - I just want to say to you that I have been disobeying God for
the last 20 minutes". As soon as I said I had been disobeying God all
these unsaved people - I had their attention. I said; "The Lord told me to
only speak for 10 minutes and then He told me to do .... this".
I was feeling
embarrassed and nervous and felt no great faith. I pulled the T-shirt out which
was green and yellow from cow dung. And I said; "The Lord told me to do
... this" and as I waved the T-shirt over the crowd the power of God was
released across that room and hundreds of people fell from their chairs. Demons
began to come out. People began to scream and repent. Then I said; "He
told me to do THIS!" and then they went hysterical. When God told the
disciples to feed the masses with fish, don't think Thomas was breaking the
loaves in half and throwing them out. They were taking little crumbs! When they
saw the bread and fish was not running out - then they got bolder. And I began
to get bolder and bolder. Literally 100's of people - I have a video recording
of this - 100's of these people without me asking them to do it, got up off the
floor, fell on their knees at the front, taking their lovers rings off and
throwing them onto the pulpit and repenting and calling out on God.
I was amazed! But I
saw one man standing in a pin-striped suit standing by himself. Everyone was on
the floor kneeling and weeping and repenting. I ran up to this very British man
with the white T-shirt and went pow in his stomach! He fell and began to cry
out and weep before God! I didn't realise that man worked at Buckingham Palace
and was the legal advisor to the Royal Family. God got him! I wanted to give
him my white T-shirt and ask him to take it and wave it over Prince Charles!
There is an anointing
that flows out of grace that will radiate out of our lives and through our
churches. We just have to learn how to release it and many Christians have to
learn how to receive it.”
I believe it’s time for the kingdom to release the power to
change and transform through the various giftings of the Spirit operating in
the lives of a believer. We can minister true change as we behold him in glory
and present Him in his love. We have to be open to the Spirit of God to lead us
in this revolution and not let offence becloud sound and profitable judgment.
The world is confused and it might not accept it so but we who have embraced
the truth should utilize every opportunity to let the Spirit of grace do only
what he can do.
